Fortnum & Mason ditches sale of foie gras in Dubai

Fortnum & Mason has scrapped plans to sell the controversial food product foie gras at its new Dubai outlet after an advert from PETA forced it to change its policy.

The advert, in Arabic, which features Sir Roger Moore calling for a boycott of the new Dubai store over Fortnum‘s sale of the product, has attracted widespread attention in the United Arab Emirates.

It claims that the product is not Halal and does not meet the requirements of Islamic law which states that animals must not be under stress or in discomfort before slaughter.

PETA say that during foie gras production, huge amounts of grain and fat are pumped into the stomachs of geese through metal pipes that are rammed down their throats several times a day. Their distended livers – which can swell to up to 10 times their normal size – press against their lungs, causing them to pant constantly.

“Fortnum & Mason‘s decision not to sell foie gras in Dubai represents a significant step in getting this ‘torture in a tin‘ out of all its stores”, Sir Roger Moore commented. “The next logical step would be for Fortnum to make this a companywide policy.”